Editorial

The one sure certainty about knowledge management is that it's anything but one thing. Searched your favourite search engine and the findings will tell you that knowledge management continues to mean many things to different people. Indeed this was the case at the four European Conference on Knowledge Management (ECKM) which was held at Oriel College, Oxford. The presentation of 96 papers clearly showed that ECKM and the area of knowledge management is growing from strength to strength. Knowledge management remains a great challenge for researchers and management alike. This issue of the Journal brings together executives and researchers to present their perspective on knowledge management. This issue has resulted from a call on selected participants from the conference to submit their papers for review. This selection of papers for this issue was no simple task as there was a eclectic range of topics covered and the quality of the content was extremely high. The papers identified have been reviewed and sub sequentially modified by the individual authors for suitability to this issue of the Journal. I hope you find the selection interesting and challenging.

Moving on we asked for recommendations for the next issue of E.J.K.M in July 2004. I would like to thank all those that responded with suggestions, most of the recommendations will be included in future issues of the journal. It would appear that Knowledge management has clustering around five main themes, strategic issues of competitive advantage, creativity and innovation, operational management of knowledge issues such as identification, capture and motivating towards the sharing of the knowledge resource, technology and its role in knowledge management including systems design for knowledge and an appropriate methodologies and finally costs and benefits and the risks associated with knowledge initiatives.

Having considered all the submissions and the current state of knowledge management research the theme for the July issue will be “How has knowledge management initiatives affected work practices”. After a decade of interesting research and work on knowledge management I believe it is time to consider how work practices have been changed or modified as a result of our efforts. We look forward to your submissions.

Abstract

In order for companies to remain competitive they must be able to utilise their knowledge of customers, products, services and resources. This can be instilled in the culture of the organisation, and this becomes paramount when the organisation deals in international markets. This research paper focuses on five main attributes, most pertinent to this study, of culture (identified by Terpstra and Sarathy, and by Gesteland). These attributes are technology and material culture, religion, language, education, and business ethics. The primary data comprised of interviews from six different e‑Businesses.

Abstract

Case studies of knowledge management practices are often conducted in organizations where the aim is to manage knowledge for future operational improvements. What about knowledge management for organizations with limited life‑spans that are preparing for closure? Such organizations are not common but can benefit from knowledge management strategy. This case study concerns the knowledge management strategy of an organization that is preparing for its final phase of operations. We facilitated two group workshops with senior managers to scope a strategy, following which the organization initiated a set of projects to implement the resulting actions. This paper reviews their implemented actions against those designed in the workshop to shed light on knowledge management in this uncommon situation.

Abstract

Information Technology is no longer regarded solely as a repository within knowledge management but also as a collaborative tool. This change of role gives rise to online communities (OLCs), which extend the loci of existing communities of practice. To leverage the potential of these communities, organisations must understand the mechanisms underpinning members' decisions to share knowledge and expertise within the community. This paper discusses existing research and develops a theoretical model of factors that affect knowledge sharing in OLCs. The aim is to increase our understanding of the antecedents to knowledge‑sharing in OLCs.

Abstract

This paper focuses on the practical significance of visual tools in Knowledge Management (KM) and Information Systems (IS) development in the context of the development of MaKE, a KM method. Visual tools are used extensively in KM and IS. However, this paper identifies a dilemma in the use of visual tools and examines how this dilemma was addressed during the development of some visual tools in MaKE. A brief description of MaKE is provided before visual tools are presented and discussed. The visual tools are called the Knowledge Targets Pyramid, Knowledge Tree, Knowledge Block, and the Linking Overview which are used to help present outcomes. They were reviewed and analysed in workshops in a major UK Fast Moving Consumer Goods manufacturer. The authors suggest that the findings of this research are relevant to visual tools used as part of KM methods and frameworks and that if certain guidelines are borne in mind, visual tools are very helpful for understanding and communicating, in a short time frame, relatively complex phenomena. Within the context of MaKE the Knowledge Targets Pyramid, Knowledge Block, and the Linking Overview do this more effectively than the Knowledge Tree.

Abstract

This article proposes a Knowledge Networking approach to the development of Workplace Health & Safety Knowledge in order to overcome the limits and obstacles associated with the more traditional linear model of Knowledge Transfer in organisations. The province of Québec has developed a Network approach to managing workplace health and safety that is highly regarded by health & safety practitioners and researchers throughout Canada. Its research arm, the Robert Sauvé Research Institute on Workplace Health & Safety (IRSST) also uses a Knowledge Network approach to guide its research agenda. The success of those network initiatives has led the Eastern Canada Research Consortium on Workplace Health & Safety to create a Knowledge Transfer Research Laboratory (KTLab) to support research on the transfer of WHS best practices develop in Québec and elsewhere to Atlantic Canada using a networking approach.

Abstract

This paper uses literature from the fields of organisational sustainability and human capital, which have demonstrated a link between sustainable human capital and the financial performance of the firm, to argue that securities analysts need to be able to systematically analyse human capital in order to provide transparent and well‑informed investment recommendations. It is the function of securities analysts to attempt to predict the future financial performance of firms within an industry sector. Models for this analysis have traditionally been heavily quantitative, relying on mathematical models of future earnings forecasts, based on published annual financial statements from listed companies. Securities analysts' quantitative modeling methods are directly underpinned by qualifications and certification processes that encourage demonstrated skills in quantitative methods. The authors provide an opportunity for securities analysts to systematically gain insights on the human capital of firms using a future expert system, called Human Capital Analyser (HCA), whose general characteristics are also outlined in the conclusion of this article. This expert system will help bridge the knowledge gap in the work of securities analysts.

Abstract

Many organisations have recognised that knowledge is the most important resource in today's economy. Although knowledge management is seen as central to process and product innovation and improvement, to executive decision making and to organisational adaptation and renewal, little is known on the effect of managerial power and relational trust on the traits and skills of knowledge acquisition. A survey of 140 first line managers was conducted to investigate the relationship between managerial power, relational trust and knowledge acquisition attributes. Results indicate that most, but not all, of the managerial power dimensions enable employees' knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the findings show that relational (interpersonal) trust had a negative effect on the skills and traits of knowledge acquisition. It was also found that the dimensions of managerial power provided statistically significant additional predictive power, after having statistically controlled for the predictive effects of interpersonal trust.

Abstract

One area of omission in knowledge intensive studies is within higher educationresearch where there is the virtuous circle of teaching, research and consulting professional work. Using a model adapted from Handzic (2001) and a survey modified from Arthur Andersen (1998) the perceived importance and perceived implementation to faculty members is explored. The discrepancy between results of the two forced the researchers to confront their own biases. Guidance was sought from ethnographic accounts which allowed allows the researcher to state personal feelings in a confessional accompaniment to the formal findings.

Abstract

The emergence of a New Economy has brought consensus to the idea that innovation skills and capabilities are the main drivers of a firm's wealth generation capacity. The principal role that venture capital played in boosting American economic productivity and growth during the 1990s, fuelling innovation and the creation of new firms is well known. However, the huge number of bankruptcies among high‑tech companies in 2000 generated general distrust in financial markets worldwide. In particular, it caused great reluctance to invest in start‑up companies and led investors and academics to question and take an in‑depth look at existing valuation procedures. Building upon the concept of competitiveness of Man et al. (2002) and the premise that a firm's success is the result of appropriate strategy formulation and implementation (Grant, 2002), the present paper develops the start‑up general valuation model (SGVM) as a first step to improving the investment appraisal of start‑up companies and promoting a more effective allocation of resources in the economy.

Abstract

Business Process Redesign (BPR) helps rethinking a process in order to enhance its performance. Practitioners have been developing methodologies to support BPR implementation. However, most methodologies lack actual guidance on deriving a process design threatening the success of BPR. In this paper, we suggest the use of a case‑based reasoning technique (CBR) to support solving new problems by adapting previously successful solutions to similar problems to support redesigning new business processes by adapting previously successful redesign to similar business process. An implementation framework for BPR and the CBR's cyclical process are used as a knowledge management technical support to serve for the effective reuses of redesign methods as a knowledge creation and sharing mechanism.

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to investigate and identify the main determinants of successful knowledge management (KM) programs. We draw upon the institutional theory and the theory of technology assimilation to develop an integrative model of KM success that clarifies the role of information technology (IT) in relation to other important KM infrastructural capabilities and to KM process capabilities. We argue that the role of IT cannot be studied in isolation and that the effect of IT on KM success is fully mediated by KM process capabilities. The research model is tested with a survey study involving 191 KM practitioners. The empirical results provided strong support for the model. In addition to its theoretical contributions, this study also presents important practical implications through the identification of specific infrastructural capabilities leading to KM success.

Abstract

This paper draws from the experience of undertaking what has been termed 'knowledge management' work, and outlines the approach being taken, which has focused on the conceptual design of human processes. This paper presents a way of thinking about knowledge management as a set of processes involving (for example) (i) the human process to which human knowledge is applied (e.g. an 'operation' of some sort), (ii) the human process in which knowledge is encouraged to be developed (e.g. a course of study, application of techniques, thinking, reflection etc), (iii) a process of reviewing a the experience in problematic situation in order that learning can be derived (e.g. an 'after action review'), (iv) the integration of all the above processes which is in some way 'managed' and 'co‑ordinated' through the process of undertaking work as a 'knowledge manager'. The approach being taken assumes that it is the processes that are being managed, rather than the knowledge per se. The paper outlines the approach taken which draws upon the experiences, difficulties and anxieties of taking responsibility for a knowledge management initiative associated with the EU funded MEDFORIST project.

Abstract

Building knowledge management (KM) infrastructure involves reuse and refocus of several existing infrastructure components, and awareness around future visions and conditions of infrastructure. We present a community perspective using a staircase metaphor for conceptualizing government supported KM infrastructure and services. Additionally we illustrate a model for government's role in providing and leveraging infrastructure components from all tiers of government. With examples, we build a case for adding diffusion of innovation characteristics, and features from innovation networks analysis in KM infrastructure. Observability and trialability are important to knowledge acquisition, while compatibility are central to knowledge application, packaging, and creation. Ease of use, and perceived usefulness affects knowledge use in all its forms.

Abstract

This paper describes three building blocks of a technological Knowledge Management (KM) system that provides all relevant and practical means of supporting KM and thus differentiates itself from existing KM tools in goal and approach, as they usually deal with a limited range only. The three blocks described within this paper are: a virtual information pool, which utilizes Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), a single and central user interface providing ubiquitous access, and mechanisms to enrich the available data, essentially based on Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining techniques.

Abstract

The Internet is enabling a new economy based on the networking of human knowledge. While the benefits of using I.T. to connect people to people and people to information within a business are commonly understood, much less is known about the advantages of well‑managed partnerships across corporate boundaries. Building on the findings of a recent study of knowledge creating collaborations (Gadman and Cooper 2003), and the growing interest in Open Source Software development communities, (Von Hipple and Von Krogh 2003), (Cole and Lee 2003), this paper addresses the importance of selecting the most appropriate collaborative strategy to meet business needs and the challenges of managing relationships which often span organizational cultures and boundaries. The findings are relevant to any company that depends on the free flow of ideas among smart people and provides a lens through which we can learn and discover new and creative possibilities for the future.

Abstract

This paper addresses knowledge management assumptions and development visions in the following types of organisations: organic product‑focused and organic service‑focused organisations, mechanistic bureaucratic and mechanistic product‑focused organisations that represent different models of value creation. These types of organisations are identified and examined in relation to the changing knowledge management context of the transition economy in Estonia. Knowledge management priorities assessed by representatives of 95 organisations are then discussed in the qualitative research and learning framework.

Abstract

There are aspects of New Product Development (NPD) business processes that pose particularly difficult challenges to Organizational Learning systems. Short product and process life cycles compress the available time window for recouping the expenses associated with product development. Cross‑functional collaboration in product development organizations requires the merging of knowledge from diverse disciplinary and personal skills‑based perspectives. Cross‑institutional collaboration leads a requirement for knowledge to be combined from participants across multiple collaborating organizations. Transient existence in teams and high turnover results in a reduction in organizational knowledge unless there is a repository for knowledge rather than a dependence on knowledge which is situated in the minds of individuals. High rates of change in turbulent industries, such as electronics, motivates participants in NPD processes to effectively overcome these Organizational Learning challenges. The potential payoff includes time saved by not repeating mistakes and reuse of knowledge that leads to successful products and processes. IS research has paid little attention to NPD processes despite the fact that some IS appears to have the potential to have an impact in that area. Recent research completed by these researchers in Analog Devices Inc identified Organizational Learning challenges encountered by engineering teams in product development. This paper will report on these challenges and will describe how systems were developed to support organizational learning to support the product development process.

Abstract

The new economy not only poses challenges, but also offers opportunities for both private and public sectors alike. To meet the challenges and take the opportunities, government must take active initiatives to adopt new management tools, techniques and philosophies of the private sector and adapt to its circumstance. Knowledge management (KM) is such an area that needs to be further explored and exploited for its full benefits to be reaped. Key issues, challenges, and opportunities of KM in the public sector need to be addressed and better understood.

Abstract

This paper investigates how the structure of a question may hinder or assist in the knowledge sharing process. It presents a theoretical framework that posits the notion that the structure of the question asked of the source may have an effect on the recipient's attitude toward the knowledge received. Question structure is examined from the perspective of knowledge articulation and attitude toward the knowledge received is considered from the position of relevance and value of the knowledge to the recipient's decision‑making processes.

Abstract

The transfer of knowledge between groups of individuals of different levels of expertise and orientation is discussed with reference to the manner in which knowledge is disseminated using the specialist language of a given domain. A prototype system that allows access to knowledge at these different levels, through the automatic construction of keyword indexes, is outlined. The controversial relationship between knowledge and language is the basis of arguments in this paper.

Abstract

The development of intellectual capital theory has been guided by the ideas and thoughts of a handful of influential practitioners, including Karl Erik Sveiby (1997), RS Kaplan (Kaplan and Norton, 1992) and Leif Edvinson (Edvinson and Malone, 1997). These pioneers established the basis of the "intellectual capital standard theory". In the present paper the assumptions and principles that support the standard theory (the prevailing paradigm) are discussed. The paper then introduces other models and methodologies as alternatives to the standard theorysuch as the "IC Accounting System" (Mouritsen et al., 2001), the "Value Explorer" (Andriessen and Tissen, 2000) and the "Intellectual Capital Benchmarking System (ICBS)" (Viedma, 2001)and examines the foundations and principles on which the alternative new theory (the 'new paradigm') is based. Finally, the paper attempts to synthesise both of these theoretical approaches with other new views and contributions, and tries to develop the basis for a first general theory of intellectual capital.